Ancient Love
by Everlastingangel09
Summary: Clara unknowingly encounters a Lord that could change her entire life forever. She has a choice to stay, but the truth will indefinitely bewilder her and things may not be so easy for her to stay.
1. The Sign

**Hello everyone. Sorry for the long frustrating wait for this story to continue on, many things happened on my end and I had to sort them all out. Now that I've gotten it done and can focus on my writing. Sadly as I re-read this story I found it frustrating. I have the notes for it, and from what I wanted it was not coming together in the previous one here. So I am starting over with a fresh start and going to keep this one up and going. Don't be afraid to give me pointers or anything you think might go along with the story. I am basing this off before Inuyasha came to play his role with Kagome. So the beginning of this tale with the shrine takes place before Kagome's time. The two Higurashi's are in fact gramps and his wife back in the day. So with that concept of time in your minds, enjoy reading this story and let me know what you think.  
-Mahalo plenty ^_^**

The time it takes for someone to fall in love is actually pretty short. But the time it takes for yourself to realize that you're already in love takes an excruciating long time. Some have it easier than others when the one they love comes to them and the feelings are mutual during their first meeting. I can tell you this much, my love was nothing but hard and excruciating to me. Perhaps I should start from the beginning? That might be better…it's hard to explain all that's happened to me in one short paragraph. I guess it started after I graduated from college in Tokyo.

Love is Clarity

The turning of spring had always taken my breath away. Not because of the dramatic change in weather, but due to the fact that here in Tokyo they really bring forth all the festivities. Since coming here I have seen more la people living to their fullest compared to where I'm from. Better than Oregon, that's for sure. Here there was always excitement going on and fireworks for something big or small; maybe even a parade for who knows what! In all reality, moving to Tokyo has been the best decision I have ever made for myself.

"Clara," the landlady, a rather young woman running a nearby shrine, called out for me from the yard.

"Yes Mrs. Higurashi?"  
Peeking out my window and seeing her waiting below with a broom and wearing her white apron, she smiled and waved her small hand to have me come down. Meeting up with her and being handed something soft and quite beautiful, I looked to her in question and tilted my head.

"I know since coming here you've been helping take care of the shrine as payment, but my husband and I want you to enjoy the Oban Festival that's tonight."

"That's very thoughtful," looking at the silk and not knowing how to thank her, she grinned and turned me around to head to her home. "Um, Mrs. Higurashi?" Not knowing how to react to this gesture, it was rather complex on how I looked right now in facial features.

"Now dear if I left you to put that Kimono on all by yourself I would never forgive myself. When my son has a little girl of his own I will be doing the same thing for her when she's old enough." Her wrinkly smile as soft and charitable it can be, I gave in and allowed myself to be pampered this one time. It was the least I could do for this woman that took me in when no one else would even bother with me.

"Your son is still only in high school," I looked to her with all seriousness and she chuckled thinking that youth did not matter as long as he found someone he loved. I liked the thought and found her to be an ideal kind of mother. "Now then let's get you in the bath and cleaned up so I can doll you up tonight."

~OOO~

"My goodness," Mrs. Higurashi, along with her husband, stood in awe by the door as they looked upon Clara coming down the steps wearing the kimono she had given to her. "If my son was older I would ask you to be his bride," she giggled with delight and her husband laughed alongside her.

"You speak so fondly of me, but really it's all in the kimono. It's quite stunning."  
The silver kimono with light hints of purple was beautiful. The red trim and long sleeves really made a difference to how it looked. For a while I really felt unworthy of such a grand gift to be worn if not for the landlady's insistence.

"If only you had a date to the festival it would really be perfect." She sighed.

Thanking her for all the trouble and receiving the small matching coin bag, she waved me off to go have fun at the Oban festival. Though persistent I have a date did not bother me one bit, she really was a kind mother looking out for others.  
It was a rather short walk to the festival. Not really hard to find since the shrine I'm staying at is actually the attraction for the festivities, I walked through the crowd and visited the stands to try out each vendor's specialty. Many delicious treats and fun games were enjoyable, but I think what caught me was how some of these people really got into the spirit of the Oban festival. Some of them wore very unique kimonos while wearing masks' on their heads an over faces. A few times I thought I'd seen a funny looking animal walking by on two legs, but ignored the thought and continued playing games and eating the food. Before the night grew late for the fireworks to start, there was a booth just a little ways away from all the other stands that was decorated in colorful drapes and lavished in shimmering jewels.

"Do you seek your fortune…" a hooded woman asked me. Her hand resting on her crystal ball while her face was masked by shadow, it was strange no one was around here wanting their fortune read.

"Sure…why not," sitting down at the table and waiting for the woman to name her price for the reading, she began to stroke her ball and hummed to herself.  
I watched as the ball began to swirl on the inside like smoke being blown in the wind and was transfixed on it. The old woman hummed louder and louder as she stroked the ball before lifting her hands away from it and making a strange pose. Unable to turn my gaze away from the ball and watching the swirling smoke inside take shape, I discerned the shape to be nothing more than a crescent moon before a blinding light made me cover my eyes.

"….A fate worse than death…you walk a thorny path that will not make things easy for you. If you value your life you would steer clear from the moon child and live a peaceful life. Take on the moon child and you will have to face hardships unheard of." The woman spoke in riddles as I rubbed my eyes from the sudden flash of light. I didn't understand much of what she was saying, but before I could ask her anything she was swallowed by the shadows of her stand and everything seemed to have darkened all around me. Terrified of the experience and getting up out of the chair, the lights and sounds of people around me came back into focus and continued on like nothing happened.  
I looked around to find nothing had changed, but turned back to the stand to find an old fortune teller machine placed where the old woman was moments ago.

"This is just freaky…" getting away from the stall and walking back to the shrine, I couldn't shake that feeling I had. Just what was that? Why did everything go dark around me with some creepy woman suddenly turning into a machine? Were all Oban festivals like this?  
Reaching home and almost forgetting to pray at the tree for good health, I turned around and stopped before the great tree and looked at it. As old and sturdy as it looked, being near its large trunk always calmed me down and focused my mind. I felt calm shutting my eyes before it and praying to the god of this shrine for good fortune. And just like before, when I prayed for good luck during my exam, I felt warm.

"Clara," Mrs. Higurashi came out of her house and found me praying. She seemed concerned why I was back so early, but I just couldn't tell her about the fortune teller experience.

"I got pretty tired after playing so much at the stalls. Perhaps I overdid it a little bit," I showed my best smile to play it off, but her eyes seemed to catch my attempt to lie, yet she said nothing.

"Alright then…come inside and take a warm bath. Dinner will be ready for you in just a bit."  
I went to follow her inside when a loud crack and thunderous boom went off in the sky and looked up to see the fireworks had started. We stood there watching the show in a daze. It was magnificent to see, and just before the big finale, a firework went off that shaped itself into a crescent moon. The images of that fortune teller came rushing back to me and this time something else flashed through my mind as well. Something white…large and white was running at me at a great speed that I threw my hands up in front of me to defend myself from the impact and felt nothing other than Mrs. Higurashi shaking my shoulders.

"Clara, Clara what's wrong?!" Her face so close I could see her pupils dilate, and I also saw the fear in her expression clear as day. "What happened? Why did you suddenly yell and cover your face?"

I felt my heart pounding in my ears. Cold sweat beading down my brow and feeling my limbs going numb, she took me in her arms and helped me back into the house.


	2. Meeting

_All I could do was run away from it. The fangs that bared at me scared me and told me to run. But there was someone waiting for me. I ran to him as fast as my legs could carry me until I was enveloped in his broad arms and safe in them. The beast that was chasing me halted and bared its fangs at the man shielding me. I couldn't hear what the man was saying, but before I could turn around and see the beast, the man touched my face and averted my eyes to him and pulled me to his chest. He said something, my heart knew he said something important, but I couldn't hear his words and I felt a sharp pain stab me from behind and everything became red.  
_ I woke up screaming. Dripping in sweat and my hair disheveled from the dream I just had. Mr. Higurashi came running to my bedroom holding a bat believing someone broke in when he took a look at me and dropped his weapon.

"My goodness," he gasped. Coming up to me and bringing me into his chest, I found myself able to breathe not realizing I was holding my breath. "This is unlike you Clara…what terrible nightmares did you have to make you scream?"

"I don't…know…" my voice rasped, my body was shivering from the cold and I couldn't help but feel scared. Mr. Higurashi felt I had calmed down after a while and told me to try and go back to sleep after having something warm to drink.  
Few minutes passed and I finished the drink offered to me. After he had gone back to bed I decided to take a stroll outside to ease my mind.

"….just what kind of dream was that?" Getting chills on my arms and rubbing the cold out of them, I stopped in front of the old shed that held a well inside. I never knew the reason it was inside the shed, but it doesn't hold any water inside it. Deciding to go inside and sit down on the ledge, it was a little calming being in here. "Why do I feel so…sleepy...?" My mind drifted uncontrollably and I felt weightless. Even the thought of falling didn't disturb me, and I know well enough I fell backwards into the well and would surely fall to the bottom.  
So then why? Why do I keep falling so far down the well without reaching the bottom? Just how far does this well go before I reach the bottom?

"Quickly now…grab her before she falls to her death."  
Hearing voices echoing around me, something caught me in midair and I was wrapped in something rough.  
"The Lord of the East will grant us riches with such a fine sacrifice."

"Well we are the only ones who know how to use such a spell to retrieve such delicious humans."

"Right you are," it cackled.  
I couldn't open my eyes, but I knew what was happening to me. So aware yet unaware at the same time that I wished I could run.  
"Oh no, the Lord of the West approaches!"  
A harsh jerk pulled me left and I felt the ground in seconds like I was thrown aside. I felt the padded dirt beneath me and couldn't move my arms. Just what was going on around me?!

"Stay away from my lands," a booming voice spoke. I felt my chest tighten and breathing hitched. What's going to happen to me if I can't get out of this? "Son, something is over there." The man spoke, and the crunching of twigs and leaves got loud in my ears. Closer and closer until I felt the presence looming over me and grabbing me off the ground. "Careful…something about that seems important."

"Father…it smells human."  
The man's fingers coiled around the cloth around me and shredded it with ease as if merely paper to him. I rolled out and fell to the ground once more and tasted the dirt beneath me.  
"I believed it to be human…."

"….certainly not a demon."  
I was barely able to move my head in the general direction of the voice and saw a man with long silver hair tied up into a ponytail. My eyes focused a little more and I could see the man wearing some sort of fancy kimono and also an armor breastplate wielding two katana's. Just where did I end up when I fell asleep?  
"Interesting…bring her here."

I was picked up again, roughly, and brought over to the man. Getting closer to him and sensing I should fear this man, it wasn't until I made eye contact that I felt fear sink in.

"How peculiar to find such a human…what were those low-lives thinking of using her for I wonder." Rubbing his chin calmly while speaking with the other, I turned to see who the other man was and found him a striking resemblance to the man speaking. Could they be related?

"Father is there really a need to be curious over a human?" He spoke with a stoic face. Without mincing words and showing little to no emotion, I felt belittled beneath their gaze.

"Not so fast Sesshomaru," his father raised his hand and turned to face me. His piercing gold eyes on me and making me unable to breathe at all, he cleared his throat. "Human…for what purpose were you taken for? Gremlins of the East serve little purpose, but in spite of that, they sought for you."

"…I…" choking on my own words, it felt like liquid fire going down my throat. Swallowing it down and trying again, I bravely looked up at him once more and tried to speak properly. "I don't know…this place is unknown to me…all I remember is falling backwards in a well after having nightmares." My tears started to fall. I just couldn't help how scared I was. Covering my face with my hands and just wanting all this to be a dream, the man seemed to grasp my situation and ordered his son over to his side.

"I am by no means a civil Lord…but I do see something worthwhile to my advantage. Sesshomaru, bring her along. This mortal woman will come to be of use for us."


End file.
